New York Yankees

New York Yankees prospect Thairo Estrada is recovering from a gunshot wound in his right hip after a robbery in Venezuela last month but the shortstop reported to Tampa Bay and is exercising with the team.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the bullet was still lodged in Estrada's hip and he is slightly dealing with pain from the incision. Estrada is expected to recuperate and then play a "bulk of the season."

According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Estrada said that he was walking into a restaurant when two teenagers demanded cash or his phone. He told them that he did not have either, and he was shot in the hip.

Estrada is 21 years old and spent last season with the Trenton Thunder in Double A and the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. He signed with the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in Aug. 2012.

Players win 3 of 5 arbitration cases, lead teams 11-8

In this Sept. 30, 2017, photo, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman delivers the ball to the New York Yankees during the first inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York. Toronto's Marcus Stroman and Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi went to hearings to begin the final week of what could be the business salary arbitration season since 1990. Stroman asked for a raise from $3.4 million to $6.9 million instead of the Blue Jays' $6.5 million offer. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Players win 3 of 5 arbitration cases, lead teams 11-8

Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer delivers against the New York Yankees during the first inning in Game 4 of baseball's American League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Time to Schein: Justin Verlander's comments on the Yankees

Adam Schein discusses Justin Verlander's remark on the New York Yankees.

Time to Schein: Justin Verlander's comments on the Yankees

Adam Schein discusses Justin Verlander's remark on the New York Yankees.

Time to Schein: Justin Verlander's comments on the Yankees

Adam Schein discusses Justin Verlander's remark on the New York Yankees.

Time to Schein: Justin Verlander's comments on the Yankees

Adam Schein discusses Justin Verlander's remark on the New York Yankees.

Jaime Garcia agrees to $10 million deal with Blue Jays

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 18, 2017 file photo, New York Yankees starting pitcher Jaime Garcia delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in New York. Left-hander Jaime Garcia and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $10 million, one-year contract that includes a 2019 team option. Garcia gets $8 million this year as part of the deal announced Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

CHULA VISTA, California (AP) — Former All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who earned more than $43 million over 14 seasons, denied allegations Wednesday that he is a cocaine dealer.

The former Major League Baseball player appeared in San Diego County Superior Court in Chula Vista, California. The tall, thin ballplayer wearing a khaki jail uniform looked at his father and other family members before entering his not guilty plea.

Prosecutors charged Loaiza, 46, with possession and transportation for sale of more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine, a cocaine base or heroin, and using a false compartment to smuggle drugs.

The specification of more than 10 kilograms could draw a stiffer penalty as could the allegation that the drugs were being stored at a townhome he leased that was within a 1,000 feet from an elementary school.

Loaiza would face up to 20 years and eight months in prison if convicted. The judge raised his bail to $250,000 after prosecutors argued the Mexican pitcher poses a flight risk. Defense attorney Janice Deaton agreed to the terms, though it was unclear if the ex-pitcher would post bail. Deaton and Loaiza’s relatives left the courtroom without speaking to reporters.

Loaiza was arrested Friday on suspicion of drug smuggling after San Diego County sheriff’s officers who pulled over the Mercedes Benz he was driving for a traffic violation found a “sophisticated” compartment used to hide contraband at the back of the vehicle, according to investigators.

Later they obtained a search warrant for the home he rented in the beach community of Imperial Beach, where officials say packages were found containing a white powder believed to be cocaine and that weighed a total of 44 pounds (20 kilograms). The charges Loaiza pleaded to Wednesday in court in Chula Vista, California, are for any amount over 10 kilograms, prosecutors said.

Loaiza played for numerous teams between 1995 and 2008, included stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. He had a 21-9 record with the Chicago White Sox in 2003 and started in the All-Star Game that year.

Investigators have said the arrest was part of an on-going narcotics probe but have given few details about how a successful baseball star became linked to a case involving the transport and sale of drugs with an estimated value of $500,000.

Criminal defense attorney, David Shapiro, who has handled numerous drug cases in San Diego but is not representing Loaiza, said this one is unique because of his fame as one of Mexico’s most successful pitchers.

“At the very least what it shows is how Mexico’s drug culture is infiltrating every aspect of life, whether he was associated with people doing it or doing it himself,” he said.

Born in Tijuana, the Mexican city across the border from San Diego, Loaiza became a celebrity in his native country after marrying the late Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera. The “Diva de la Banda” was considered to be the most successful female singer in grupero, a male-dominated Mexico regional style, selling more than 15 million records, and acting in reality television before she was killed in a plane crash in 2012.

She filed for divorce shortly before her death, ending their two-year marriage.

Agent John Boggs, who represented Loaiza during his Major League Baseball career, said he had not seen him in more than a year but that he had heard he was involved in a business selling Mexican-made hats.

“I love Esteban,” Boggs told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He’s a great guy with a big heart — again, I don’t know what or why he’d be involved in this. I have no idea. He’s a friend, and I’m sorry as heck to see what’s going on.

Major League Baseball's pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week, and the Miami Marlins are looking very different this seasion. Future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter became a co-owner and CEO after last season. Jeff Glor spoke with the one-time New York Yankees captain to talk about this next chapter and what's ahead on and off the field.